The present invention relates to an electric can opener for severing a lid from a can and, more specifically, to a battery operated portable electric can opener which can be supported on a can for severing the lid.
Portable can openers generally consist of a housing which is fitted with a cutter for piercing and severing the lid from a can, a driving wheel for rotating the can relative to the cutter, and a mechanism for rotating the driving wheel. Most such portable can openers include batteries within the body for powering an electric motor, both of which reside within the housing. Further, prior art portable can openers that are intended to be supported on the rim of a can generally include an elongated handle to accommodate the hand of the user when the user positions the can opener on the can and when the user holds the can opener while the cutter severs the lid. Those portable prior art can openers that do not have elongated handles are generally of the type that have elongated, upright rectangular housings which are intended to rest on a countertop or other flat, horizontal surface. As such, these types of can openers support the can while the lid is being severed.
The significant drawback of both types of prior art can openers is that on all but the largest cans the can openers cannot travel around the upper periphery of the can without tipping the can onto its side due to the eccentric loading caused by the elongated handle or the size and weight of the housing. Further, prior art can openers do not provide a comfortable gripping shape which is naturally accommodating to the hand of the user.
The present invention overcomes these shortcomings by providing a can opener that is ergonomically designed to be naturally and securely gripped by the user""s hand. Further, the present invention provides a can opener that can be fully supported by small and medium sized cans without tipping the cans onto their sides. These and further advantages will be fully discussed in the detailed description below.
Briefly stated, the present invention is directed to a can opener for severing a lid from a can. The can opener includes a housing having a shape generally in the form of a semi-sphere. The housing has a semispherical shell and an opposing working face. A cutting mechanism is positioned on the working face for movement along a circumference of the lid to sever the lid from the can such that the can supports the entire weight of the can opener while severing. A drive mechanism is mounted to the housing for moving the can opener relative to the can.
In an alternative embodiment, the can opener includes a housing without an extended handle. The can opener further includes a cutting mechanism for movement along a circumference of the lid and thereby severing the lid from the can, and a drive mechanism for moving the can opener relative to the can wherein the housing, cutting mechanism and drive mechanism are sized and positioned such that the can opener is fully supported by the can during severing.
In another alternative embodiment of the can opener, the can has a longitudinal axis therethrough passing through the center of gravity of the can. The longitudinal axis of the can is oriented vertically during severing. A vertical axis passes through the center of gravity of the can opener when the can opener is positioned on the can for severing the lid. The can opener includes a cutting mechanism for movement along a circumference of the lid and thereby severing the lid from the can, and a drive mechanism for moving the can opener relative to the can. The can opener is fully supported on the can during severing and configured such that an angle of less than about twenty degrees exists between: (a) a first horizontal line passing through the longitudinal axis of the can and extending through a point of contact between the cutting mechanism and the lid, and (b) a second horizontal line, coplanar with the first horizontal line, passing through the longitudinal axis of the can and extending through the vertical axis passing through the center of gravity of the can opener.